Can the position on the screen of an image influence its judgment? The case of high- and low-calorie foods

If a food product is not perceived positively in its appearance, it is unlikely eaten. However, there are several subtle spatial cues able to bias attitudes towards food, such as the position where it is displayed. To date, no-one has investigated how the placement of high-calorie food (HcFd) or low-calorie food (LcFd) on a screen, influences them evaluations. Thus, we asked 57 participants to rate food images that appeared on the center, on the top, on the bottom, on the left or on the right side of the screen. For each item participants evaluated on a 100 mm VAS the liking, the desire to eat and buy, and the willingness to pay. We found that HcFd liking and desire to eat were higher when images were shown on the bottom side and lower when shown on the left side of the screen; LcFd liking scores were lower when shown on the bottom side and higher when shown on the left side of the screen. Such results were consistent with the literature reporting a peculiar perceptual/preference bias determined by the placement of high- and low-calorie products. Both policy makers and sellers can use such knowledge respectively to prevent unhealthy food intake or to improve the effectiveness of the advertisements.